5 days of strike action planned by the BMA are unprecedented in the organisations' history says Dr Jack Saunders

Dr Jack Saunders, Research Fellow in the History Department at the University of Warwick provides expert insight into the cultural history of the NHS and how the impending strikes by Junior Doctors and health workers compare with previous disputes.

5 days of strike action planned by the BMA are unprecedented in that organisations' history. Nothing of that length or scale previously.

That's largely because in the history of the NHS it's virtually unheard of for anything to be imposed on doctors without agreement.

Historically, we're looking at a major change - past disputes (1948, 1962, 1975) were generally about a clash between self-interest and professional responsibility. In this dispute, the BMA clearly sees both as the same thing where their professional interests, those of the NHS and those of patients align.